[WARNING: This story contains spoilers for the ending of The Dark Knight Rises.]
In case you haven’t heard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt – who will, to a certain generation, forever be remembered as that kid from Disney’s Angels in the Outfield – is on his way to becoming one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men. This summer’s The Dark Knight Rises, however, marks the most high-profile role of his career thus far.
By the film’s end, his role as Gotham City cop John Blake is revealed to be Christopher Nolan’s version of Robin (as was rumored beforehand). Having faked his death, Bruce Wayne bequeaths the coordinates of the Bat Cave to Blake, who is literally rising in the film’s final shot (hence the Dark Knight rises). Therefore, all signs indicate – in Nolan’s take on the Batman mythology, at least – that Blake is the heir apparent to Batman’s role as Gotham’s protector.
Making an appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, the star addressed rumors that he might reprise his role in a potential sequel. Here’s what he had to say:
“I don’t think [the ending of 'The Dark Knight Rises'] is necessarily a set-up. I think it is the great ending for that trilogy. Even if you go back to ‘Batman Begins,’ he’s talking about how Batman is more than a man, it’s a symbol, and a hero can be anybody and we all have heroes inside of us.”
Gordon-Levitt also recently told The Hollywood Reporter that he had “no idea” where the Batman franchise would go from this point but revealed that his criteria for choosing future projects would remain unchanged.
“I always choose scripts the same way. If it’s a great script and a great filmmaker, then I’m interested.”
The above comments may not be definitive regarding the star’s future involvement in the Batman series, but Gordon-Levitt does indicate that he would entertain the possibility of donning the cape and cowl if Warner Bros. manages to secure a filmmaker of Christopher Nolan’s caliber to continue the story from The Dark Knight Rises.
There’s little doubt that the actor – who has turned in memorable performances in films like Brick, (500) Days of Summer, Inception and 50/50 – is up to the task of carrying a Batman film. Gordon-Levitt’s star is continually on the rise, with both Premium Rush and Looper due for release within the next few weeks. It seems inevitable that some studio will hand him the lead in his own franchise. After all, Jeremy Renner currently has high-profile roles in three.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake in 'The Dark Knight Rises'
The question remains – what does Warner Bros. have in mind for their DC universe? With recent rumors that Ben Affleck is in talks to helm Justice Leauge, the studio is clearly keen on competing with Marvel’s movie universe (which just secured Joss Whedon to a three-year contract), and Batman is a critical part of that (along with Man of Steel’s Superman). Given the way Nolan ended his trilogy, the studio could either reboot the Batman franchise or find someone to move ahead with Nolan’s vision. In any either case, they need to decide sooner rather than later if Justice League is to move forward. Keeping Gordon-Levitt onboard may be a wise move, considering the phenomenal success of Nolan’s trilogy, but attracting the talent involved could be tricky. Plus, there’s the question of whether or not audiences would ultimately want to see a Justice League film without Bruce Wayne.
Do you think Warner Bros. should try to keep the continuity of Nolan’s Batman films in play (with Blake in the Batsuit), or is it time to bring another filmmaker’s vision of Gotham City to life and re-introduce Bruce Wayne? Let us know in the comments.
Premium Rush hits theaters August 24th, 2012, followed by Looper on September 28th.
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Sources: Jimmy Kimmel Live & The Hollywood Reporter
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Why not have a JL movie without batman BUT at the very end of that movie bring him in but not show his face. That would leave a massive build up to the sequel.
I think it should follow true to the comic and continue with robin as batman bruce wayne is aging in the movies but i think he could be dragged in to the movie as a guest apperance. The joker thing left people wanting more and i think bringing in penguien and edward nigma as a harvey dent like character would be big i dont see superman being as big as batman but i could be wrong but keeping the real to life feel of the movie is important but as far as batgirl and other characters you dont want to get where tim burton went with batman and lose that real feeling but an epic final movie to put the seris to rest would be epic just no hold bar fight to the finish
Honestly, any film by Nolan is amazing. I thought the Batman trilogy was indescribable, my favourite trilogy, and of course as a fan, I wouldn’t want it to end. The ending of The Dark Knight rises with Blake revealed as Robin was awesome (despite the fact that someone ruined it for me… I’m so mad at that. That’s another story…) and that is a pretty big build-up to leave the audience with. Nolan didn’t plan on doing more movies after Batman Begins, and yet, he continued with amazingly successful films afterwards. So why not continue that? Gordon-Levitt is an amazing actor, and after seeing the ending of The Dark Knight Rises, it just makes the audience, including myself feel like something is coming, it feels unfinished. I just hope Nolan WILL make another Batman movie with Robin, because it will definitely be a hit…
I absolutely agree with you i felt the same way as you do. Nolan needs to carry on with the Batman franchise especially since they just introduced Blake as Robin and there’s still a handfull of villains to cover as well as Batgirl to introduce
I absolutely agree with you i felt the same way as you do. Nolan needs to carry on with the Batman franchise especially since they just introduced Blake as Robin and there’s still a handfull of villains to cover as well as Batgirl to introduce.
i wish Mr. Nolan is going to make another batman sequel and another movie after that and after that and after that and a never ending batman trilogy.honestly before im not really a fan of batman but after i watch the dark knight rises i became one.oh if your planning on making another batman movie(i wish its not a reboot though)dont forget about anne hathaway a.k.a selina kyle a.k.a catwoman shes really hot and a really good actress too.\(’3′)/<3
I think they should go the batman beyond route. Because how many times can you remake or reboot something that has all ready been done. I would like to see a future time batman.
I really think that there should be another movie after the dark knight rises, I also think that Bruce should be back in and he should be with robin (the cop in dark knight rises) they are great together I think it would be an incredible movie sequel
I think there should be one last move where Gordon-Levitt is robin, and there is no batman, but the task at hand is too difficult so Bruce comes back as Te dark Knight. Then there should be a JL movie that includes Gordon-Levitt as Robin and the Batman from the trilogy.n Just an Idea that Nolan could expand.
They should not restart the trilogy. Nobody wants to see another version of how batman got started and Christian Bale is the Perfect Batman. They just need to continue from the end of The Dark Knight Rises.
As for Justice League, it sounds stupid and Superman is a joke anyways. Nolan’s Batman Trilogy is great because it doesn’t incorporate any “superpowers” with the characters.
If Heath Ledger was alive I bet they would make the next one with His Joker
IMO, they should scrap the Justice League movie and continue to make a trilogy following Robin. Just don’t make it PG 12+. Darken it up a bit, just like they have with the new Batman trilogy. Which I found amazing by the way.
Because his mode of representing is the beste one i love his view about batman and all 3 series and i would like him to meet me to continue batman adventures
))
Personally, I’d like Nolan to make his own new version of another superhero. Something totally off the comics and books. I mean it might be kinda weird to have a movie based completely on comics…bat-family and all.